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Moving day will soon arrive for some U.Va. pavilion residents

Though Lawn pavilions see a lower turnover rate than the student rooms on the Lawn, in the next two years a number of residency changes will alter the faculty and administration profile on the Lawn.

Of the 10 Lawn pavilions, nine are currently occupied by faculty members and administrators. The other, Pavilion VII, is used by the Colonnade Club. All pavilions have set 10-year residency time limits, and, as a result of this limit and several faculty and administrative changes, several changes to the Lawn population recently occurred or are on the horizon.

One recent change involves not a new Lawn resident, but a shifting of one administrator's residence. Patricia Lampkin, vice president for student affairs, moved during Spring Break from Pavilion III to Pavilion V, which had been vacant following the departure of former Provost Gene Block. Board of Visitors Secretary Alexander Gilliam said Lampkin asked the Board during February to move to Pavilion V, which is larger than Pavilion III. Because Lampkin teaches several classes in her pavilion and the building serves as a residence for herself, her husband and their two children, Gilliam said the larger space suits Lampkin's needs better.

"Vice President Lampkin probably has a lot more going on in her pavilion than most," Gilliam said.

Meanwhile, Nursing Dean Jeanette Lancaster will leave Pavilion II later this year. Gilliam said Lancaster's pavilion will remain vacant while it is being renovated.

"The pavilion will be taken out of circulation for one year while a thorough renovation takes place," he said.

The upcoming year will also bring changes, as Pavilion I and Pavilion IX will be vacated in 2009 by former Education Dean David Breneman and Architecture Dean Karen Van Lengen, respectively.

"2009 is going to be a banner year for the Lawn," Gilliam said.

In selecting new residents for the vacant pavilions, the University goes through a specific selection process, Gilliam said. The order of precedence for pavilion residency is first the provost, then the vice president for student affairs, then deans in the order of which their schools were established, Gilliam noted.

In special cases, however, the president can select another vice president to take precedence before the deans, a situation that occurred last year when Robert Sweeney, senior vice president for development and public affairs, was chosen.

In addition to residents coming and going from the larger pavilion residences, the Lawn will also see a new tenant this year in the lower-level, small apartment in Pavilion VIII, currently occupied by French Prof. Gladys Saunders. Gilliam said a new tenant has not yet been named.

Gilliam added that the process for selecting the residents of the two apartments is less structured than the one used to select regular pavilion residents.

"The idea, generally, is to get younger faculty or more junior faculty for the apartments," Gilliam said.

Whether the University is filling a large or small pavilion residence, filling a vacancy is not always easy. Gilliam said he relies heavily on the Office of the Provost to advertise the openings and choose applicants.

"Sometimes, in years past, it's been hard to find people who want to live on the Lawn at that particular time," Gilliam said. "Some people just don't want to live that public of a life."

Head Lawn Resident Melissa Jenkins, however, said the opportunity to live on the Lawn with students is an important one. She said the faculty and administration presence on the Lawn enriches the experience for all student Lawn residents.

"All of [the pavilion residents] are from different backgrounds, and it gives students a wide range of interactions," Jenkins said, adding that she believes the coming changes will be beneficial to both Lawn residents and students in general.

"It will be a great opportunity for them to get to know new faculty," Jenkins said.

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